NASA Satellites Track Elevated Pacific Typhoon Season Driven by El Nino
NASA's Earth Observatory reported high tropical cyclone activity across the Northwest Pacific Ocean in 2026, driven in part by a strong El Nino pattern. Satellite images captured on October 29 and October 30 showed Super Typhoon In-fa near the Mariana Islands and the remnants of Typhoon Champi moving toward Alaska. In-fa is the fifth typhoon to affect the Mariana Islands this year. Meanwhile, Champi reached maximum sustained winds of nearly 300 kilometers per hour before transforming into a cold-core extratropical storm. It became the fourth ex-typhoon to enter Alaskan waters in 2026, bringing high winds, rain, and snow to parts of the state. For residents in the Pacific and Alaska, these observations explain why storm tracks have shifted northward, causing unusual weather patterns and widespread wind coverage over large regions.
What was announced
NASA's Earth Observatory detailed an unusually active 2026 storm season in the Northwest Pacific. By late October, the basin had recorded 25 named storms since elevated activity began in April.
Instruments on NASA satellites captured images of two major storm systems at the end of October. Super Typhoon In-fa developed an unusually large eye measuring about 45 kilometers in diameter, characteristic of a rare type of cyclone known as an annular storm. Annular storms make up roughly 4 percent of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific and maintain strength longer under unfavorable conditions.
At the same time, Typhoon Champi underwent an extratropical transition after causing damage in Taiwan, Guam, China, and Japan. Champi merged with a Bering Sea storm system, bringing high winds, rain, and snow to Alaska. It was the fourth ex-typhoon to hit Alaskan waters in 2026, following Bang-Lang, Dujuan, and Choi-wan.
What it means
A strong El Nino is a likely contributor to the high number of storms this year, according to Gary Partyka, a meteorologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. El Nino occurs when ocean temperatures near the equator become warmer than normal. This pattern tends to push storms northward toward Guam, Japan, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Korean Peninsula, rather than westward toward East Asia.
When tropical cyclones transition into extratropical storms, their energy source changes. Warm-core tropical storms rely on ocean moisture, while cold-core extratropical storms draw energy from temperature differences between air masses. This shift expands the storm's wind field, spreading impacts across much broader areas, such as the Bering Sea and Alaska.
What the announcement does not tell us
The announcement does not state the total financial cost of the damage caused by Typhoon Champi or Super Typhoon In-fa. It does not provide specific local injury or casualty numbers for the affected regions in Asia, Guam, Taiwan, or Alaska. Furthermore, the report does not predict how many additional storms will form before the 2026 Pacific season concludes.
How this was written
This analysis was written with AI from the official announcement below, using only facts that announcement states. The quoted wording is NASA News Releases’s own. Always check the original before acting on anything here.
Super Typhoon In-fa developed an unusually large eye, and the remnants of Typhoon Champi transitioned into an extratropical storm that targeted Alaska.
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